"But now, O LORD, You are our Father; we are the clay and You are our potter; we are all the work of Your hand." Isaiah 64:8
"Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?" Romans 9:21
"Daddy, make a ball for me." That was the request of my three year old the other day, as she played with some play-doh. So I dutifully rolled a ball out for her. However, she noticed that there was a small "crack" in it, where it had folded over on itself, and I hadn't done an adequate job of getting rid of the "crack". So she made me roll another one, watching as I squeezed it and pushed it, making sure that it was one solid ball, rather than just several clumps of play-doh pressed together.
At times, it seems that I find God doing much that same thing to me. He takes this lump of play-doh or clay, and He mashes it together according to His will and design. Now, I have never heard the play-doh scream out in pain when I've rolled it or pressed it before. However, it does seem to me that, when God is doing that same thing in my life, it can be rather painful.
There are times in life where I think I have discovered something that looks promising, and then God shows me how He wants the thing to be formed by having me ask others about what I am considering. Quite often, I have discovered that other people have insights or viewpoints that I had not considered, which sometimes means that the "brilliant" thing I am considering needs considerable refinement. That is painful, especially to the ego, though I admit that it is a pain that I take rather willingly and joyfully, especially as it pertains to God's kingdom and His people.
There are other times where it seems that God is intent on pressing me in an effort for me to realize just how resiliant He created me to be. Stringing together nights of little sleep, caring for children who suffer from illness, God has, on a few occasions, shown me just how resilient He created me to be. I have been amazed how much I have been able to do after nights of only 2-3 hours of interrupted sleep. The pain of the clay, but done willingly (not always joyfully) for the good of other loved ones.
Let's face it. It hurts when God forms us. And yet, I would dare to suggest that this is necessary pain. How can we be the creation that He intends for us to be if we aren't open to His pressing, pushing, and pounding? Yes, He loves us with love beyond measure, but He also intends to form us into something incredible in His eyes, and that involves us being formed. (I actually think this is a great challenge for the men of God, and men in general. How manly is it to run from the pain of being formed, and how much more manly is it to stand up and be formed by the God of all creation?)
The thing is, being God's vessel means letting Him do with the clay what He wants. It may even seem that He is forming us to be a vessel of dishonorable use (maybe tomorrow I'll write about that one a bit, because it seems significant). And you know what? That's okay. It's still Him forming us, and when we are formed into what He wants us to be, I dare say we will find ourselves closer to Him than if we resist His formation, even if it would save us a little pain.
"Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?" Romans 9:21
"Daddy, make a ball for me." That was the request of my three year old the other day, as she played with some play-doh. So I dutifully rolled a ball out for her. However, she noticed that there was a small "crack" in it, where it had folded over on itself, and I hadn't done an adequate job of getting rid of the "crack". So she made me roll another one, watching as I squeezed it and pushed it, making sure that it was one solid ball, rather than just several clumps of play-doh pressed together.
At times, it seems that I find God doing much that same thing to me. He takes this lump of play-doh or clay, and He mashes it together according to His will and design. Now, I have never heard the play-doh scream out in pain when I've rolled it or pressed it before. However, it does seem to me that, when God is doing that same thing in my life, it can be rather painful.
There are times in life where I think I have discovered something that looks promising, and then God shows me how He wants the thing to be formed by having me ask others about what I am considering. Quite often, I have discovered that other people have insights or viewpoints that I had not considered, which sometimes means that the "brilliant" thing I am considering needs considerable refinement. That is painful, especially to the ego, though I admit that it is a pain that I take rather willingly and joyfully, especially as it pertains to God's kingdom and His people.
There are other times where it seems that God is intent on pressing me in an effort for me to realize just how resiliant He created me to be. Stringing together nights of little sleep, caring for children who suffer from illness, God has, on a few occasions, shown me just how resilient He created me to be. I have been amazed how much I have been able to do after nights of only 2-3 hours of interrupted sleep. The pain of the clay, but done willingly (not always joyfully) for the good of other loved ones.
Let's face it. It hurts when God forms us. And yet, I would dare to suggest that this is necessary pain. How can we be the creation that He intends for us to be if we aren't open to His pressing, pushing, and pounding? Yes, He loves us with love beyond measure, but He also intends to form us into something incredible in His eyes, and that involves us being formed. (I actually think this is a great challenge for the men of God, and men in general. How manly is it to run from the pain of being formed, and how much more manly is it to stand up and be formed by the God of all creation?)
The thing is, being God's vessel means letting Him do with the clay what He wants. It may even seem that He is forming us to be a vessel of dishonorable use (maybe tomorrow I'll write about that one a bit, because it seems significant). And you know what? That's okay. It's still Him forming us, and when we are formed into what He wants us to be, I dare say we will find ourselves closer to Him than if we resist His formation, even if it would save us a little pain.
No comments:
Post a Comment